Two runs of counter need about 7 ft 9 in wall to wall: two 25½ in counters and NKBA’s 42 in work aisle. With 24 in appliances (fridge, range and sink base) and an 18 in dishwasher, a galley, an L or a U passes every NKBA check in an 8 × 10 ft room. With full-size appliances, the smallest passing plan we drew is a 10 × 10 ft L with a 30 in fridge and an 18 in dishwasher.
The smallest room for each layout
| Layout | Smallest room in our plans | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| One wall | a 13 ft wall (24 in appliances), 15 ft (full size) | counter beside each appliance, all in one row |
| Galley | 8 × 10 ft (24 in appliances) | the 42 in aisle, measured from the fridge door |
| L-shaped | 8 × 10 ft (24 in appliances) | counter between the fridge and the range |
| U-shaped | 8 × 10 ft (24 in appliances) | the aisle between the legs |
| With an island | about 13 × 13 ft | a 42 in aisle on each working side |
“Passes” means every NKBA minimum the planner checks: work aisle, walkways, landing areas beside the sink, range and fridge, the dishwasher’s place and the work triangle. NKBA’s guidelines are recommendations, not code; a kitchen that misses one still works, with less counter where you need it.
Small kitchen plans, measured
- Work triangle: 16 ft 6 in
- Counter: 6 ft 9 in
- 1 NKBA check short
7 × 10 ft L: one check short
The short wall is only 84 in, so the range sits at its end with 2 in between it and the wall, where NKBA wants 12 in. Everything else passes, including a triangle of 16 ft 6 in. Two runs facing each other don’t fit this room at all: 7 ft wall to wall leaves a 33 in aisle.
- Narrowest aisle: 45 in
- Work triangle: 15 ft 2 in
- Counter: 11 ft
8 × 10 ft galley: passes
A 45 in aisle between the counters, and the fridge faces the open floor by the door rather than the other counter, so its door doesn’t narrow the aisle. The triangle is 15 ft 2 in.
- Work triangle: 15 ft 7 in
- Counter: 7 ft 9 in
8 × 10 ft L: passes
The fridge and the range share 28 in of counter (NKBA wants 27 in for the two), and the triangle is 15 ft 7 in. The prep counter beside the sink is 27½ in, under NKBA’s 36 in target: fine for one cook.
- Narrowest aisle: 45 in
- Work triangle: 15 ft
- Counter: 10 ft 6 in
8 × 10 ft U: passes, with the most counter
10 ft 6 in of counter, against 7 ft 9 in for the L in the same room, and a 45 in aisle between the legs. With full-size appliances the same U is 1¼ in short: see the U-shaped kitchen.
- Narrowest aisle: 43¾ in
- Work triangle: 13 ft 9 in
- Counter: 11 ft 9 in
8 ft 3 in galley, full size: passes with a counter-depth fridge
6 in wider than the one-cook minimum and a counter-depth fridge keep the aisle at 43¾ in even at the fridge. A standard-depth fridge would make it 38¼ in. More galley widths are on the galley kitchen layout page.
- Work triangle: 17 ft 4 in
- Counter: 8 ft
10 × 10 ft L, near full size: passes
30 in of counter between the fridge and the range, 22 in and 40 in beside the sink, and a triangle of 17 ft 4 in. The 10x10 kitchen layouts compare it with a U and a galley.
- Work triangle: 17 ft 1 in
- Counter: 7 ft 8 in
3 × 3 m: passes
A 3 × 3 m room is 9 ft 10 in square, just under 10 × 10 ft. The same appliances still fit, with 30 in between the fridge and the range and a 17 ft 1 in triangle. Switch the units at the top of the page to see every plan in centimeters.
Space savers that change what fits
- A 24 in fridge instead of a 36 in one frees 12 in of counter. Whirlpool’s 24 in model is 27 13/16 in deep with its doors and holds 11.6 cu ft; a 36 in French-door fridge from GE holds 26.7 cu ft.
- A counter-depth fridge stands 29¾ in from the wall instead of 35¼ in, which gives back 5½ in of aisle.
- An 18 in dishwasher (Bosch’s needs a 17¾ to 18 in opening) frees 6 in.
- A 24 in range (GE’s fits a 24 in opening) frees 6 in.
- A pocket or sliding door takes the door swing out of the floor plan: the planner keeps a swinging door’s arc clear of counters and appliances.
Small kitchen mistakes the planner catches
- A fridge across a narrow aisle. In a 7 ft 9 in galley the counters leave 42 in, but a standard fridge facing the other counter cuts it to 32¼ in.
- No counter beside the fridge. NKBA wants 15 in on its handle side, or counter no more than 48 in across from it.
- Two appliances sharing one short counter. Between a sink and a range NKBA asks for the longer landing plus 12 in, so 18 in of counter between them is not enough.
- A door that swings into the counters. The door’s swing and a 36 in walkway in front of it should stay clear.
Questions people ask
What is the best layout for a small kitchen?
In a square room, an L; in a narrow one at least 7 ft 9 in wide, a galley; and a U gives the most counter once the room is 8 ft wide. A single wall uses the least floor but needs 13 ft or more of wall to meet NKBA’s landing areas.
What is the smallest kitchen size?
Building codes set no minimum: the 2021 IRC exempts kitchens from its room-size rules and asks only that every home has a kitchen area with a sink. The smallest room in our plans that passes every NKBA check is 8 × 10 ft with 24 in appliances.
Can a small kitchen have a dishwasher?
Yes: an 18 in dishwasher fits every 8 × 10 ft plan above. Keep it within 36 in of the sink and 21 in from any corner, as NKBA recommends.
What fits in a 3 × 3 m kitchen?
An L with a 30 in fridge, a 30 in range, a 33 in sink base and an 18 in dishwasher, as drawn above, with every NKBA check passing.
Sources
- NKBA’s free Kitchen Planning Guidelines with Access Standards: work aisles (42 in for one cook, 48 in for two), walkways (36 in), the work triangle (each leg 4 to 9 ft, 26 ft in all), landing areas beside the sink, cooktop and fridge, the dishwasher’s place and standing room, and seating clearances. This is the older free edition; the paid 5th edition (June 2026) may change some numbers.
- 2021 International Residential Code, chapter 3 as adopted in Connecticut (R304 room size, which kitchens are exempt from, R305.1 ceiling height, R306.2 kitchen sink), read on UpCodes
- 24 in and 18 in models: GE JAS640 24 in electric range (24 in opening, 25⅞ in deep without the handle), Whirlpool WRT112CZJ 24 in refrigerator (27 13/16 in deep with the doors, 1 in behind, 2¼ in on the hinge side next to a wall) and the Bosch SPE53C52UC 18 in dishwasher (a 17¾ to 18 in wide, 24 in deep opening)
- Samsung “Will it fit” sheets for a counter-depth (28¾ in to the door front) and a standard-depth fridge (34¼ in to the door front); the planner adds 1 in behind, as KitchenAid’s guide asks
- GE Appliances product pages: 29½ in, 32¾ in and 35¾ in wide models for 30, 33 and 36 in openings
- Caesarstone: the standard depth of kitchen countertops, 25½ in (24 in cabinets plus a 1½ in overhang)
- Kraus spec sheets: a 30 × 18 in sink needs a 33 in base, a 33 × 22 in double sink a 36 in base
Checked 19 October 2026. The plans are drawn and measured by our planner; room sizes are wall to wall.